The Parable of the Flooded Town

One day while teaching, Josh was asked, ”Teacher, doesn’t raising the minimum wage simply temporarily disguise the deeper problem of weak demand for labor in a saturated market of under-skilled workers?”

Josh spoke thus:

Following a week-long rainstorm, a river had risen above its banks, and a town on the river’s edge was flooded for the twentieth time in thirty years.

“We will rebuild,” the townspeople declared.

The townspeople filled out national government paperwork.  They filled out state government paperwork.  They filled out county government paperwork.  They filled out homeowners’ insurance paperwork.  They filled out Red Cross paperwork.  They filled out United Nations paperwork.

Volunteers arrived to give them food and water.  Relief organizations arrived to give them food and water.  A sports team from a nearby city arrived to give them food and water.  An icon of basic cable arrived to give them food and water.

There were offers to build them houses from house-building charities.  There were offers to build them houses from house-building television programs.  There were offers to build them houses from house-building philanthropists.  There were offers to build them houses from house-building ex-presidents.  There were offers to build them houses from house-building house builders put out of work by the collapse of the house-building industry but who wanted to keep up their house-building skills for when the house-building industry rebounded.

Wood was gathered from nearby mills.  Wood was gathered from regional mills.  Wood was gathered from non-regional mills.  Wood was gathered from beyond the nation’s borders.  Wood was gathered from far-away islands and continents.

“The global distribution network is a wonder,” one townsperson said to a second townsperson.

“We live in an age of miracles and wonder,” the second townsperson said.

“We are truly blessed,” the first townsperson said.

“Twenty out of the past thirty years, the blessings have rained down upon us,” the second townsperson said.

“And in the other ten years we were truly blessed,” the first townsperson said.

“No, neighbor,” the second townsperson said, “The true blessing is not the flood-free year, but the year of flooding.”

“These gifts truly are a blessing,” the first townsperson said, “But do you know what would be a greater blessing?”

“What would be a greater blessing?” the second townsperson asked.

The first townsperson replied, “Better wood.  This cheap pine will never last.”